Case Study: WESTMED MEDICAL GROUP
Samsung Video Wall Solution
Provides “Visual Therapy”
for WESTMED Patients
OVERVIEW
Customer Need
WESTMED Medical Group provides comprehensive
outpatient healthcare at nine sites in Westchester
County, N.Y. A frontrunner in the use of cuttingedge technology to deliver quality care, WESTMED
wanted to implement a digital signage solution
to deliver visual content and create a warm,
therapeutic environment for patients throughout its
new 85,000-square-foot, multi-specialty medical
office. To fit seamlessly along the center’s 300-foot
corridors, the displays needed to be ultra-thin while
still offering exceptional picture quality.
Samsung Solution
The Samsung ME Series edge-lit LED LCD displays
provided the perfect combination of thin profiles,
picture quality and affordability. With a bezel
width of just 15.1mm, the displays allow a nearly
seamless connection across the video wall. A 1920
x 1080 resolution, a 5000:1 contrast ratio and
Samsung picture technology ensured the array
of gorgeous visual content would be delivered to
visitors in all its glory.
Results
The Samsung LED-lit video walls have been
successful in providing visual engagement and a
therapeutic environment to WESTMED patients of
all ages. Following what the WESTMED President
and CEO Dr. Simeon Schwartz describes as
“phenomenal feedback,” the medical group is
standardizing to Samsung LED displays at other
sites. It will also use Samsung displays for video
walls at facilities that are currently being planned
for WESTMED’s healthcare services customer
locations in Brooklyn and White Plains, NY.
The Customer
WESTMED Medical Group
Formed in 1996 in Westchester County, N.Y.,
WESTMED Medical Group is a physician-owned
and managed multi-specialty practice that
takes a comprehensive approach to improving
community health care. A pioneer in integrating
electronic medical records and other new
technologies, WESTMED has received wide
recognition for excellence in providing fullservice, coordinated patient care. It has grown
rapidly, and today has 250 physicians and more
than 1,000 employees providing outpatient
healthcare, ranging from primary and specialty
care, radiology and lab to urgent care, to nearly
240,000 patients at nine integrated sites in
central and southern Westchester County.
photo: WESTMED Medical Group
“We’re a super-center for healthcare, a one-stop shop for patients,” said Dr. Simeon Schwartz, WESTMED’s President and CEO.
“We’ve spent a lot of time on workflow and analytics to be effective both clinically and operationally. The fast turnaround is a
result of several strategies, but what the patients see is that doctors are available, and they have the information they need.”
WESTMED’s integrated approach has proven to be a success, with other healthcare facilities wanting to replicate the medical
group’s delivery of quality full-service care built on operational efficiencies and state-of-the-art systems. Its healthcare
services management arm, WESTMED Practice Partners, is building and managing facilities for other healthcare providers that
are seeking to establish free-standing, integrated healthcare centers. The medical group is affiliated with a growing number of
hospitals, including Greenwich Hospital, the Lawrence Hospital Center and White Plains Hospital.
photo: WESTMED Medical Group
Samsung Case Study: WESTMED Medical Group
2
samsung.com/prodisplay
THE Customer Need
Visually engaging digital displays to create a warm, therapeutic environment
In building its comprehensive healthcare centers, WESTMED recognizes the therapeutic value of patient surroundings, and
devotes attention to creating a visually appealing healing environment with furnishings and artwork. However, for its new medical
office at Westchester’s Ridge Hill in Yonkers, WESTMED wanted to implement a new strategy to engage patients visually.
Recalling various video walls he had seen, such as in New York City’s
Grand Central Station and McCarran International Airport in Las
Vegas, Dr. Schwartz was convinced the answer was digital signage.
But the idea presented a tough challenge. The video walls were to
be installed in the center’s two main 300-foot-long corridors, and on
the second floor entrance check-in lobby. “Unlike other places where
they had enormous spaces, we have tight corridors,” Dr. Schwartz
said. “How could we adopt the technology to deliver an enjoyable
visual experience in spaces that were only six to eight feet wide?”
“WESTMED required top-of-theline equipment, with the highest
resolution and performance.”
– Eli Hezi,
co-founder of ESSENTIALCOM
WESTMED partnered with ESSENTIALCOM, an M/WBE based in White Plains, N.Y., to design a cutting edge solution. A leading
provider of audio-visual solutions, ESSENTIALCOM worked with the WESTMED team to identify the video wall technology that
could address this challenge and be rolled out in time for WESTMED Ridge Hill’s grand opening. “WESTMED required top-of-theline equipment, with the highest resolution and performance,” said Eli Hezi, co-founder of ESSENTIALCOM. “But there wasn’t
sufficient space for video walls, displays and players. With only a 2.5-inch depth available, the project required ultra-thin displays.”
ESSENTIALCOM began a search for display manufacturers, but only Samsung offered the required combination of thin
displays, narrow bezels and affordability. According to Dr. Schwartz, Samsung’s reputation also played a part in the selection
process. “Many of us had experienced Samsung products in our homes and know Samsung really is the leading manufacturer
of LED displays,” he said.
photo: WESTMED Medical Group
Samsung Case Study: WESTMED Medical Group
3
samsung.com/prodisplay
THE Samsung Solution
Quick Profile:
ME Series Edge-lit LED LCD Displays
WESTMED selected Samsung’s new ME Series of commercial edge-lit LED LCD
displays to deploy at Ridge Hill in a series of video walls at key locations around
the center. The video walls, consisting of between two and six 40-inch panels
each, were installed in narrow insets allowing the ultra-thin displays to remain
flush with the wall and give the appearance of floating in place.
By partnering with digital media
provider YCD Multimedia to integrate
“That’s why we like
hardware, software and content,
WESTMED Ridge Hill’s 22 video
Samsung technology.
walls could be controlled centrally to
It gives vibrantly
deliver high-definition video clips and
intense color.”
images around the 85,000-squarefoot facility. Visual content included
– Dr. Simeon Schwartz,
beautiful natural scenery, vacation
President and CEO,
photos contributed by employees
WESTMED Medical Group
and patients, and information about
WESTMED’s educational programs,
seminars and lectures on new community health initiatives. “These were not meant
to be billboards,” said Dr. Schwartz. “Ninety percent of the content is therapeutic.”
With the goal of creating a serene, welcoming and healing atmosphere using
captivating images, it was important for the video walls to deliver superior image
quality. The images should not be stretched across multiple panels but instead
displayed at native resolution on each. “We chose pictures with excellent color
saturation that could be presented at full resolution across multiple panels,” said Dr.
Schwartz. “That’s why we like Samsung technology. It gives vibrantly intense color.”
The ME Series is an ultra-slim large format display offering superior brightness,
extraordinary dynamic contrast and the energy-saving benefits of LED backlighting.
Its thin bezels measuring just 15.1mm enable the creation of video walls with
virtually invisible connections between displays. Screen quality is outstanding, with
1920 x 1080 resolution, a 8ms response time and Samsung picture technology.
ME Series Edge-lit LED
LCD Displays
As used by WESTMED Medical Group
DISPLAY SIZES (DIAGONAL):
40/46/55 inch class
SCREEN DEPTH: 1.2 inches
PANEL TECHNOLOGY: Edge-lit LED
LCD BLU 60/120Hz
RESOLUTION: 1920 x 1080
BRIGHTNESS: 350 nits
CONTRAST RATIO (TYPICAL):
5000:1
VIEWING ANGLE: 178˚
RESPONSE TIME: 8ms
Bezel width: 15.1mm (top and
sides); 16.6mm (bottom)
FEATURES: Built-in TV tuner, built-in
MagicInfo Lite signage software, built-in
speakers, Plug and Play
POWER CONSUMPTION (Typical):
ME40B – 86W / ME46B – 92W / ME55B
– 117W
ENVIRONMENTAL: EMC Emission
Standard; Energy Star 5.0 compliant;
RoHS compliant
STANDARD WARRANTY: 3 years
on-site (parts/labor/backlight)
The vibrant and rich images are created through the panel’s ability to avoid
diffused reflections from external light, minimizing glare. The result is a dynamic
visual experience, with image quality that is sharper and higher in contrast ratio,
revealing deeper blacks and brighter colors.
“In my view the Samsung panels were far superior,” said Dr. Schwartz. “We were
able to use the pictures we wanted to use and carry the image all the way to the
edges without losing the effect of merging panels.”
Samsung Case Study: WESTMED Medical Group
4
samsung.com/prodisplay
THE Results
Video walls drive improved patient experience and new opportunities
Dr. Schwartz describes physician and patient feedback on the video walls as
phenomenal. The project has been successful in providing visual engagement and
a therapeutic environment to patients of all ages.
“We had a patient commenting that her young daughter was looking forward to
coming back into the Ridge Hill center to see a particularly striking picture she had
remembered seeing on the video wall,” said Dr. Schwartz. “It has certainly had a
great impact in creating a warm, relaxing atmosphere for patients.”
In addition, with the ease in integrating content throughout the facility, it has
encouraged WESTMED staff and patients alike to contribute their own images.
photo: WESTMED Medical Group
“In a space like WESTMED, the solution wasn’t just
about the look and feel of a new office, it was about
the whole healthcare experience.”
– Sam Losar, President of YCD Multimedia Inc.
“I see the video walls at WESTMED as a perfect example of applied digital
media, one that provides the right tools for a healthcare provider interested
in communicating with its patients and providing an ambient and relaxing
environment ,” said Sam Losar, President of YCD Multimedia Inc. “In a space like
WESTMED, the solution wasn’t just about the look and feel of a new office, it was
about the whole healthcare experience.”
Another significant result of the WESTMED Ridge Hill project is the standardization
of technology across other WESTMED locations. “We do try to standardize the
look and feel of our offices, and this helps to deliver a uniformity and quality to all
locations,” said Dr. Schwartz.
WESTMED Practice Partners’ customers have been equally impressed with the
modern sleekness and image quality of the Samsung LED video walls, and WESTMED
is now planning to disseminate this new dynamic way of visually engaging patients
and creating a healing atmosphere at offices in Brooklyn and White Plains, NY.
Business. Innovated.
Learn more
1-866-SAM4BIZ | samsung.com/prodisplay | @SamsungBizUSA
© 2012 Samsung Electronics America, Inc. All rights reserved. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. All
products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Screen images simulated. This case
study is for informational purposes only. Samsung makes no warranties, express or implied, in this case study.
Samsung Case Study: WESTMED Medical Group
5
samsung.com/prodisplay